Tokens

When the subway fare went up from $1.25 to $1.50, the Transit Authority issued a new token.

I still had two of the old tokens left though, so I asked a transit employee whether I could trade them in for new tokens if I paid the difference in cash. She said I could, so I figured the old tokens still counted as currency.

Then I asked her to take back the $2.50 in old tokens and apply a $2.50 credit to my MetroCard.

“We can’t do that,” she said, “the fare has gone up to $1.50.” I explained that I hadn’t asked her to add two fares to the card, just $2.50. I’d add more money to the card to make it cover the fares.

Again she said, “but the fare’s $1.50.”

I found two quarters for two new tokens and gave up.

That’s why she works in a bulletproof box.